Oncology Ventures: Happy Holidays + Portfolio Company Fundraises
Investing in healthcare data startups that enhance cancer care and research.
Reflecting on my cancer treatment journey
Six years ago I was diagnosed with cancer. Like many cancer survivors, I try to think back to life before cancer and the mental state I was in. It is difficult to do so after such a life-altering event.
I was diagnosed at Stage 3A. I underwent an intense chemotherapy regimen and two surgeries. Throughout a significant portion of my treatment, I experienced neutropenia (deficiency of white blood cells necessary to combat infections). That was all paired with blood clots in my lungs, which made it difficult to breathe.
During treatment, it took all of my physical and mental energy to be able to simply go sit with friends in a park. Everything was difficult and exhausting.
There was one day I remember vividly, where I promised myself that after cancer I would never be irritated by trivial matters again. I went to a friend’s apartment and their roommate was complaining about how they had the absolute worst day ever, because they missed their usual morning bus, and when they got to work 10 minutes late, their boss was in a bad mood. To top it all off, their lunch spot was out of the dish they love.
What I would have given for their awful day to be the toughest day of my month.
My lows were low. But, the highs were incredible, and oddly commonplace if you search for them. On days when I was able to be outside, I was happy. That was it. Just being outside. Alone, with friends, warm weather, or cold and rainy. It didn’t matter. I was genuinely happy not being in a hospital.
Post-cancer there is a lot of pressure to make dramatic changes, to seize every day and to just be grateful that you’re alive.
I made it through chemo and surgeries, and I started getting back to my life outside of cancer. Then, slowly, I began to experience the resurgence of frustrations over life’s minor inconveniences. It didn’t happen all at once. Sometimes it was a minor flight delay or a restaurant getting my order wrong. I tried to remember how I felt hearing that person complain, but it frustrated me even more that those trivial issues were irritating me again.
I learned that is okay. It signified that my cancer was no longer all-encompassing. When something stressful occurs, I try my best to get back into the mindset of when I was fighting for my life. Yearning for the days where I would be able to belly laugh with friends without being in pain or muster up the energy to go for a jog. It’s a challenging exercise to do consistently.
For those of you going through this journey now, whatever stage you are at, it is natural to experience a range of emotions. Don’t feel pressured to conform to external expectations of how you should act or feel. It is your life. And cancer, unfortunately or fortunately, necessitates the embrace of all these emotions.
I hope that through this fund and the companies we support, we can help as many patients, providers, caregivers, families and friends have access to everything they need to thrive before, during and after their cancer treatment.
Oncology Ventures Portfolio Companies Raising: Let me know if you would like an intro
Gabbi: Making all late-stage breast cancer obsolete by empowering users through personalized risk assessment and care plans to ensure all women know their risks and have access to early detection.
Raising $3M, which will allow them to execute on their insurance contracts (coming online early 2024) and support their four referral partnerships, who will be sending them thousands of patients per month beginning in Q2.
Concr: Bringing precision into cancer treatment. Concr has validated their technology, accurately predicting treatment response and outcomes across cancer types and treatments. Sifted highlights Concr and its partnerships with Debiopharm, Roche and Step Pharma.
Launching their Series A fundraise in January 2024. With a mature, validated platform and a growing list of commercial contracts, Concr is excited to scale its business operations.
Comedy!
For how happy I am to be alive, I haven't been a fan of this getting older thing. My body has been acting weird.
Like I was walking into a party the other night, it was 9pm, and right before I walked inside, without even registering it - I opened google maps to see how long it would take me to get back home. Before the party even started. One that I wanted to go to.
Being an adult is a constant struggle. Between being bored and wanting to have plans. And yet somehow at the same exact time, always having plans and constantly having the strong urge to cancel them.
The worst part of parties as an adult is saying goodbye to people. Not in an - aww I'm not going to see my friends for probably 8 months, because of life way. More in a - why as a society do we have to say goodbye way? Why in order for me to leave a party, do I have to go up to the people who I haven't talked to since I said hello to them at the start of the party, just to make follow-up plans to grab a coffee that we are never going to actually go through with?
Asks
Deadline to apply to the CancerX Inaugural Accelerator Program (which Oncology Ventures is thrilled to be a champion of) is Friday, 12/15
We will be in Mexico City the first week of January
Is there anyone we should meet there? Or a top recommendation for something I must do?
Then, we are heading to the JPM Conference
Let me know if you want to catch-up live or if you are hosting an event we should attend
BEN...Keep up your great works...We love you...Whenever you get upset with the problems caused by getting old, just remember the option...I am 93+ and love it.
Onward and forward Champion!!!